


The Emperor's riddle

by ReichVictor



Category: Persona 4, Persona Series, possible Persona 4 Arena
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Game Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:54:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26332975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReichVictor/pseuds/ReichVictor
Summary: The story starts after Rise's rescue. Rather than going through Yu's eyes, I'll be switching from multiple characters, mainly Kanji and Naoto. The main plot will still remain the same, but I'll slowly deviate. I have big plans for this fic, the story will go past the main story, through the dancing game possibly and hopefully even past the epilogue!
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Satonaka Chie, Kujikawa Rise/Narukami Yu, Shirogane Naoto/Tatsumi Kanji
Comments: 45
Kudos: 11





	1. Mission failed?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TeamTatsumi96](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamTatsumi96/gifts), [WishStone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishStone/gifts).



> Welcome to me awkardly trying to come up with coherent sentences and trying to post a fanfic for the first time, thank you for giving this a chance ^^
> 
> Bear in mind I've never written an actual story before, so my writing is very much in it's infancy, english being my 2nd language also being a pain at times no doubt, buuuut, we all gotta start somewhere, right? :D
> 
> I'll mostly focus on Kanji/Naoto but might add small bits here and there for the other characters, possibly more. The start won't be that focused into Kanji/Naoto as I'm still testing the waters with my writing. I really have no plan for this >.<, expect spoilers from the entire game.
> 
> Last but not least, a huge thank you to TeamTatsumi96 and WishStone. Seriously, you two are the best! I hope to one day be able to write something that's as deep and emotional as WishStone's stories, something that's as fulfilling and wonderful as TeamTatsumi's story. To show my appreciation, I decided to gift this to the both of you! If either of you are reading this right now, thank you so much. You guys don't know how much it means to me. And that applies to anyone, whoever you are, thank you for giving this a try! Well then, that is all for now! :D

_**~Sunday, July 10th, Junes food court, Kanji Tatsumi~** _

Kanji was sitting at the usual table, or as everyone used to call it, _t_ _heir headquarters_ , along with Chie, Yosuke and Yukiko. "So, what the hell happened? Lotta' sirens this morning, any of you know something 'bout it?" Kanji looked up to each of his friends, seeing a frown on both Yukiko and Chie, while Yosuke was just wincing at the table. It was Yukiko who decided to speak up first.

"We don't know yet, but we heard some people talk about it on our way to Junes, they were saying it was... a dead body... in the shopping district." Yukiko looked dejected, defeated. Kanji couldn't help but feel a hint of worry for her, she was his friend since childhood after all, that is.. until his Pa died and then he pushed everyone away like an idiot. "Do you guys think we... failed?"

Kanji was about to intervene, but Yosuke was quicker. "Come on, Yukiko-san, don't say that. Rumors fly around this town constantly, it's probably not even a murder, you know people like to exagerate around these parts." That didn't seem to help that much, so he quickly added "Tell you what, I'm gonna go take a look, you guys stay here, alright?" He flashed one of his usual grins before running as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Dammit, we rescued Rise, right? How the hell did another body show up?" Kanji kept thinking and thinking and thinking _Did we fuck up? But we beat her shadow, was it Teddie? No, we beat his shadow too._ Frustrated, he gave the table another good smack "This is bullshit!"

Kanji had started to continue his shouting again, words grinding against Chie's and Yukiko's eardrums. "Jeez, will you keep it down? People are staring at us, and you shouting like a maniac isn't helping Yukiko calm down either!" 

Those words hit him like a brick wall as he froze, wide eyed. He looked around to find the piercing glares of the other customers and some of the part time workers there too, forcing him to sit down and form an apology that sounded more like a whisper. "S-Shit! Sorry!"

"Look, it's fine, just keep it down, Narukami should be here any moment. We'll just have to wait for him and for Yosuke." the kung fu enthusiast reassured him. So all they did was sit at their "HQ" for what felt like an eternity until the grey haired leader reached Junes, his arrival being announced by Chie "Hey, over here!"

"What's going on? Is it really a dead body? Who is it?" 

_I hope not_ was what Kanji thought before he realised he wasn't actually talking "We don't know! Yosuke couldn't wait any longer so he went to check it out himself. He should be back soon."

As if he was waiting for those words to be spoken, the magician entered the food court, tripping over a chair before stopping with his hands on his knees "*huff* Yeah, it was murder all right. The body was hanging upside down on an apartment's rooftop railing. And that's not all, the victim was none other than King Moron!"

That last remark made everyone jump out of their seat, Chie being the only one able to use words "W-What?! King Moron?!"

"King Moron?! Ain't that Senpai's homeroom teacher? But he wasn't on TV! I ain't never seen him on the Midnight Channel either!"

Yu decided it was time for him to join the conversation as well "Alright, calm down, we have to think this through. Yosuke, are you sure it was a death caused by the TV?"

"H-Huh? I mean... he was hanging upside down from a high spot, what other thing are we looking for?"

"I heard Adachi and even Dojima talk about it sometime, apparently the first 2 victims had no wounds, no clues left behind."

They all stood, pondering on this way for a long while, "Even if it's not a victim of the TV world, it could still be the same killer, maybe he realised throwing people in TV didn't kill them anymore, I mean, Yukiko and Kanji are still alive, maybe he got frustrated?" 

The blonde haired boy was having a hard time keeping up with Yosuke, Chie and Yu debating the murder, so he resorted to trying to talk to a very deflated Yukiko. "Hey Yukiko-senpai, y' alright?" Even if they didn't stay in touch after middle school, he faced his own shadow for a reason, to stop running and pushing people away all the time, right? Getting closer to Yukiko again was a step in the right direction.

"Maybe the Midnight Channel doesn't have anything to do with this..." she quietly added, choosing not to respond to Kanji's show of concern. Yosuke soon joined Yukiko in sulking.

"Come on guys, we can't give up so early!"

Kanji felt a boost from his leader's determination "Damn straight! We started doing this 'cause the police can't tell their asses from their elbows? If we give up, we'll just be lettin' that asshole get away with murder. We can't let that happen!"

He felt proud of being able to help the team, even if it was only for moral support. "Hmph... Big talk from someone like you, Kanji." 

_Ouch_ "Wh-What's that s'posedta mean?" He knew Yosuke meant it as a joke, evident by his shit eating grin, but it still hurt Kanji. At least it didn't bother him as much after he agreed that they couldn't give up, even if Chie needed to elbow him in the ribs to get him to apologize.

"And we promised the bear, right?" 

Chie perked up when Yosuke reminded them of him "Hey, that's right! Maybe Teddie knows something. Let's go see him!"

* * *

_**~Junes electronics department~** _

The investigation team decided to take a trip into the TV, which would have worked had they not encountered an obstacle.

Chie exclaimed a bit too loud. "Huh? Staff? What are they doing here?" A man and a woman, both in suits, were front of the TV section, discussing something.

Luckily for them, the Prince of Junes was with them. "Don't worry, I'll handle this." Yosuke tried striking up a conversation with them where they learned of a weird mascot lingering around the department for a while now. Upon further questioning, all they got was potential names, Terry, Eddie, but they already had an idea of who that mascot might be. "Please don't tell me..."

Yosuke's doubts were confirmed when they spotted a large bear sitting in one of those chairs for massaging. How the hell did the damn bear even get out of the TV in the first place!? "Aaaaaahhh, this really hits the spot." 

"How did ya even leave your side!?" Kanji couldn't believe it, how the hell are they going to babysit him around in that stupid costume?!

"Of course I can come out. There's an exit." the bear proudly exclaimed, "It just never occurred to me to do it before, but spending time with you all sparked my curiosity about this world! And when I thought about it, I had nowhere to go. So I waited here for you. Oh, someone asked my name, so I told them, "I'm Teddie." "

They were all too surprised to remember what they were here for, except for someone. "Oh yeah, there's something we need to ask you! How long have you been here, Teddie? Did anyone enter the other world?" In the end it was Yukiko who asked the million dollar question. But it was pointless, the damn bear didn't know anything.

"Well, it's true that the Midnight Channel was blank last night. Does that mean King Moron was never on that side?"

What Chie said was a good point, but nothing made sense anymore. After a boring monologue from Teddie about him joining the team, they decided to go back to their Headquarters table. 

* * *

After yet another back an forth between Yosuke, Teddie and Chie, they decided that King Moron was never thrown in the TV. As the entire team was bickering, the fight was cut short by Teddie complaining about the heat.

"Wait, you're not talking about your head, are you!?" Yosuke smacked Teddie in the head as he was about to take his costume off "Cut it out! There's kids watching! You wanna scar them for life when they see a headless mascot?"

At least Yukiko didn't seem as down now. "I'm glad you're back to normal, though. Your fur's all fuzzy again!"

"C-Can I... Can I feel it...?"

"No!" Kanji already expected that answer, but he couldn't understand why it bothered the bear so much, the fox at the shrine let him pet it. "Actually, I'm no longer a hollow bear! Mwahaha! I trained and trained, hoping to someday score with Chie-chan and Yuki-chan... And now I finally have an inside!" 

Teddie's proud speech only managed to anger Yukiko. "Come on! Can't we give it a rest with the whole "scoring" thing?"

Yosuke didn't buy it, trying to convince Teddie to keep his head on. It went as well as you'd expect.

Teddie was moving around, almost falling in the chair, when he finally managed to take his head off. And inside of it was... a really attractive blonde dude? "Aaaahh, much... better!" after some prancing around, his plan was already in motion. "Hey, Chie-chan, Yuki-chan. Do you have anything to wear? I'm basically like a newborn at the moment..."

"T-Teddie? Is that really you?" Chie couldn't believe it, same as Kanji and the rest of the team judging by their faces. "Wait, you're like a newborn? Don't take the bottom part off!" Chie and Yukiko went out of the food court with Teddie, probably to a clothes shop if Kanji had to guess.

"That's... Teddie...?" Kanji was still staring at him, mouth open and eyes wide. "He said he's not hollow anymore... So like... he grew himself a body in there?"

He almost forgot Yu was here as well considering how quiet he was. "Well, better than the bear suit, right?" 

"Yeah, gotta admit, probably better this way. Oh, hey, weren't we gonna talk to Rise? Let's head over to her place, Teddie will be fine with the girls." At Yosuke's suggestion, all 3 of them rose from the table and decided to go to the Marukyu Tofu shop in the shopping district, not before stopping by another store for a snack until the girls arrive. 

* * *

_**~Central shopping district, south~** _

"Mmmm-mmm! It's finally the damn season for Topsicles again!" Kanji loves topsicles, obvious by him holding one in each hand and switching between eating both of them.

"Dude, how many are you gonna eat? You're gonna get a stomachache." What Yosuke said was probably right, but he didn't really care. The Topsicles brought back memories, as stupid as that sounds.

The girls finally arrived with Teddie in tow. It seems like they found some good clothes for him, nice blue pants, slick black shoes, elegant white button up, complete with a damn rose. It looks expensive as hell. "Whoa... I-Is that you, Teddie...?" Yosuke asked the question on everyone's minds.

"Oui, monsieur! How do I look?" Kanji didn't know what bothered him more, how good looking Teddie was, or him using French.

"C'est magnifique." The leader quietly remarked. _Not you too, senpai._

"Uh, don't encourage him." Chie sheepishly added. "I have to say, it totally blew my mind, but he's Teddie alright. This guy had to make it a huge ordeal... It turned into a big mess. Hey, you can't just go around blabbering like that in the woman's section when you're in this form, got it?"

"Figures. If Yosuke's not there to be the pervert of the group, Teddie's gotta jump in and take his place." 

"Ouch, Kanji, that was a low blow, dude." Yosuke was right, but he deserved it, he's been a constant prick with his teasing.

"*chuckles* Man... if you can behave yourself though, you'll be pretty cute."

Yosuke jumped at the opportunity presented by Chie. "Is he cute...? What do you think, Kanji?" Well, guess he did kind of deserve this, doesn't change the fact it's still pissing him off.

"Huh? What're you asking me for?"

"Well, I was just wondering if he was your type." Yosuke responded with a wink and his shit eating grin.

"Ohhh... I get it." Kanji had enough at this point. "What you're really asking is... "Will you please beat the shit out of me, Kanji?"

"Snrk... *chuckle*"

"It ain't funny, Yukiko-senpai."

"S-Sorr--heehee..." 

"*sigh* You'll have to forgive Yukiko. She's helpless when she gets this way..." Chie's words weren't providing any comfort to him.

"Oooh, please, everyone! Don't fight over me, baby!" Great, just fucking great. As if Yosuke wasn't enough, he's going to have to deal with the damn bear too.

"Shuddup! You picking a fucking fight with me!?"

"Ahahahahahaha!" It was too much for Yukiko, who burst out laughing.

"Geez... oh well." Yosuke said as he gave Kanji a 1000 yen bill. "Here, Kanji. Get whatever ice cream you want, just share it with Teddie. We're gonna head for the tofu shop. Wait here until we get back."

Teddie gaped at Yosuke. "Wow! You're rich!"

"I can't just take this from you!" Kanji didn't know what to think, why would he do that? Are they trying to make him stay here fearing he would mess things up for them? Do they still have their doubts about him? Well, at least some Topsicles will take his mind off of it for a while, no point worrying so much.

"Just don't go around making a racket." Yosuke added with his usual grin and wink combo.

Kanji had to admit, Yosuke was a complete asshole sometimes, but he's not a bad person, he noticed times when he dropped all his jokes and got down to business. _If only he would do that more often._

His train of thoughts was stopped by Yosuke suddenly yelling at Chie. "WHAT!? You put it on my account!? What the hell, Chie!? I never said you could do that!"

"What else were we supposed to do!? That stuff was expensive, even for Junes!" Chie shot back. 

"You seriously charged it to me?" Yosuke added. "Wh-Why would you do that!? You know I just bought a motorcycle! I'm broke!" 

"So? If you're already broke, a little more debt isn't going to make much of a difference."

"That's a dangerous mindset to have, Chie." Yu pointed out. 

"Grrrrr...." Yosuke looked done at that point, Kanji figured this was karma biting him in the ass, but he still felt a little bad. What Chie did wasn't cool. "You listen here, Ted... You better take really, really, REALLY good care of that. If you put even a single tear in it, I'll make your next set of clothes out of the bear hide you took off!" Ah, so it was about Teddie's clothes after all.

As Yosuke and Chie continued their daily shouting match, Kanji decided his ears had enough. "Yo Teddie, don't let it get you down. Let's go get some Topsicles."

* * *

After they decided which Topsicles to get, both Kanji and Teddie stood at the entrance of the store, now alone.

"So how'd ya... you know?" Kanji asked.

"How'd I what? Grow a body? I don't know!" Teddie cheerfully pointed out before taking a bite out of another Topsicle.

"W-What do you mean ya don't know? That makes no damn sense!"

"After you all left I started training, to get stronger and to grow my lovely fur back! After a lot of training I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I was staring at my costume!"

Kanji tried to keep up with what the bear said, but his story was more confusing than helping. "Dude, that still makes no sense at all. You think getting a persona might be the reason?" 

"Grrrr, I already told you I don't know! Kintoki-Douji is an amazing bearsona though, he talks to me when I need him!" Teddie replied with a smile.

"So your persona talks as well, huh? What's it like?" Kanji was wondering if Teddie's persona was as annoying as he was sometimes.

"He's a boy! He's really nice, and he loves my jokes!" Teddie was practically hopping around Kanji with joy.

"Woah, calm down you dumb bear! And wipe your face, you eat like a damn child!"

"Kanjiii, you're so meaaan." Teddie voiced his complained before switching back to his happy self. "But it's okay, I'll bear it!"

...That bear pun managed to mess with his head more than a Garu ever could. "Man, that was terrible, even for you, Ted." Kanji added with a slight chuckle. _Him and his damn-_

"Grrrr! How rude! You've crossed the line, mister!" The sudden change in attitude startled Kanji, who was still just staring at Teddie. "I'm fine with you insulting me but my jokes are the beary best, and don't you forget that!" 

Kanji gaped at Teddie, he's never seen him pissed, especially not about something as stupid as some bear puns. It took Kanji a little to snap out of it and quickly reply ."W-Woah! Sorry, Ted. Didn't know yer so serious 'bout them."

"Haha! You should see your face, Kanji!"

"W-Wha!? Dammit Teddie!" Kanji couldn't help but at least chuckle at the whole situation, that is until he noticed the casualty they took. In the brave fight to trick Kanji, one Topsicle was cruelly sacrificed by Teddie, the deliciousness now sitting on the floor and melting. "Dude! The Topsicle! You threw it on the ground!"

"Oh. OH! Nooooooooo, how beary cruel of me!" Teddie was on the verge on tears.

"Hey, 's fine, come on, let's see who can eat the most! I bet I can beat ya easy!" Kanji proudly exclaimed. It made sense, no one liked Topsicles as much as him, even if Teddie had the stomach of a bear, he would not lose this!

"You're on! No one beats moi when it comes to food!"

"Oh, you're going down!"

**THIS IS STUPID.** A voice echoed in the back of Kanji's head, Take-Mikazuchi, his persona.

_Shuddup._ Kanji quickly shot back, which resulted in a growl followed by the silence of the skeleton like persona.

**_*many Topsicles later*_ **

"Ha, I win, Kanji! I told you no one messes with my beary big stomach!" Teddie proudly exclaimed in an exagerated hero pose, both his hands curled into fists and resting on his hips.

"Oh no you don't, I ate 2 before ya' arrived with the girls, so I win!"

The pair of blondes continued fighting over who won the great Topsicle eating contest until Kanji spotted the investigation team going towards the shrine, but an even bigger surprise was now walking towards him. A certain blue haired boy, wearing his signature blue cadet cap, the source of Kanji's... doubts. He still wasn't used to the idea, and seeing him here so sudden caused him to freeze up.

"Ah, Kanji Tatsumi," his voice was quiet, which wasn't really out of the ordinary, though it did mean that Kanji sometimes had trouble hearing him. _Didn't help that he doesn't even reach my shoulders, damn, he's short, it's kinda-_ "Oh, I don't believe we've met." Kanji's thoughts were put on hold as he addressed Teddie. "Naoto Shirogane."

"Oooh! Hello! My name's Teddie, beary nice to meet you!" As always, Ted was in high spirits, being overly friendly too. Kanji just hoped it wasn't bothering Naoto too much.

"Y-Yes, of course." He cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, I have some matters to attend to, farewell to both of you." 

Kanji felt like an idiot for not uttering a single word during that whole encounter, luckily for him, he had something else he had to do now.

"Hey, Ted, let's join the others at the shrine."

"I haven't finished my last Topsicle, go without me!"

"I still ate more than you, even with that one!" With that he left Teddie to his last Topsicle and started going towards the shine. He noticed that girl Rise being there with them as well, no doubt she's already in the team. 

"Yo. How's it going?" Everyone turned around to stare at Kanji. _Ok, that's a little intimidating._ "Dude, Teddie ate five Topsicles... Though if you count the ones I had before, that makes six, so I still win." Kanji added with a smile.

"No one asked..." Yosuke replied.

"We're all done talking already! Let's go, Senpai!" Rise seemed like a different person compared to when they first saw her at the tofu and at the strip club inside the TV. She was very quiet there, yet now she seemed... bubbly? She was giving Yu a pretty flirty look, too. _Huh, weird._

"Uh... When did you get so chipper?" Kanji was still wary of her, she seemed like the kind of girl he couldn't stand, no doubt she would be creeped out if she found out he liked sewing, or cute stuff. He wasn't afraid of her, nope, definitely not.

**HMPH.**

"Do you go to Yasogami, like Senpai? I'll be starting school there tomorrow, so I hope we get along too." Rise asked with a smile. He still wasn't sure how he should talk to her.

"Huh? Oh... cool." An awkward pause. _Come on Tatsumi, use words._ "Uhh... What grade are ya in?" Kanji ignored the snort he heard from Yukiko.

"So where's Teddie?" Yosuke asked, noticing the bear's absence.

"He's over there, finishing up his fifth Topsicle. What are we gonna do with him?" It was true, Teddie would cause some problems, not only was he not used to this world, evident by his apparent outburst in the woman clothing section, but he also had nowhere to stay, no job too. Would he just stay in the TV world at night? Did he even sleep?

"Well, I guess I'll take him home..." 

Yosuke was probably the best person for this, not only did he seem the closest to Teddie, he could also probably make him the Junes mascot, give him a job too.

"Really?" Teddie asked with sparkles in his eyes. "You're rich AND kind! Wowee!"

"Alright, alright, we should probably go soon, set up your own place. Later, guys!" Yosuke ended it at that before leaving with Teddie behind him, the bear continuously showering him in praise.

"Yeah, you're right. I gotta go home, I promised Nanako that I'll have dinner with her." Yu finished with a small wave and left for home. Kanij really admired how well Yu got along with Nanako, he only talked to her once, but he could tell she was a very strong person already, no doubt her mother's death being the main cause, poor girl. He knew that feeling too well, he knew how much losing a parent could change someone, he is the perfect example of it, after all. Didn't help him feel less like a moron though.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go now as well." Kanji didn't even notice Chie and Yukiko left as well, which left him standing there like an idiot with Rise. 

"Uh, yeah, see ya!" Kanji left it at that and started walking back to his house, this thing was getting more and more complicated, and their team was getting bigger and bigger, but he had the feeling this whole thing was far from over.


	2. A new ally, or threat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hoping to get this out faster, but this is tougher than I expected, heh. Hope the extra wait was worth it!

_**~Monday, July 11th, Junes food court, Kanji Tatsumi~** _

The investigation team decided to meet up at Junes to discuss their findings yet again, but as much as they worked as a team, they were pretty disorganized, their chat quickly turning into small talk and bickering. Kanji wasn't bothered by it, there were times when all this was just too complicated for him. It was in those certain moments that he cursed his stupidity for skipping so many classes.

"Ugh... Finals are next week... Blegh!" Chie complained. "It's been a while since I failed any subjects..." she added with a nervous chuckle. Kanji didn't even wanna think about that, he knew he was too stupid to pass, nothing he could do to change it, he'd need a miracle to pass it.

"Yeah, if by 'a while' you mean 'all the time'." At least Yosuke isn't fazed by them, considering he wants to pick a fight with Chie... again...

"Sh-Shut up! Like you've ever seen my scores!" Chie quickly shot back. _This shit's gonna take a while._

"But Chie always has above-average marks in the subjects that she doesn't fail!" _You're not helping, Yukiko._

"H-Hey! Why'd you tell him? My scores just... vary! Yeah, that's it!" 

"Ahaha!" 

"R-Rise-chan, you too...?" Chie asked, a feeling of betrayal clear in her voice. 

Rise shook her head and started giggling. "Sorry... I'm not laughing at you." She started explaining with a smile. "It's just... I thought it would take me a while to make any friends at my new school." Kanji did not expect that. _I mean, she's an idol, for Christ sakes, she's gotta have at least half the boys in school drooling for her._

"Too bad we met under such awful circumstances." _Yeah, thas' true, Chie, but if we DIDN'T meet under these circumstances, we probably wouldn't have ever talked to each other. Yeah, I'm glad this happened, Dammit, what's wrong with me?_

"Oh yeah... What do you guys think about King Moron's case? He didn't show up on the Midnight Channel even once." At least Yosuke's on his serious side, so Kanji doesn't have to deal with more of his 'jokes'.

"If this person had been inside the TV, I would've sensed it." Teddie explained. "My nose isn't as sharp now, but I can tell that much." Oh right, Teddie. Kanji remembered seeing Teddie turn into a pancake after taking down Rise's shadow, he wasn't fond of the pitch of his voice when he screamed, or more squealed, Teddie's name.

 _Grrrr, more of the same, we're going nowhere._ "I really wonder about the culprit's motives... Why was Mr. Morooka targeted?" 

_Hah, more like who WOULDN'T target him, Yukiko._ "Hope it wasn't personal, 'cause there's way too many people who hated King Moron's guts." Kanji recalled the camping trip, King Moron tearing him a new one for no damn reason, trying as much as possible to NOT remember what happened after. But the more he thought, the more Rise's voice got drowned out and he started thinking on everything that happened so far, that announcer chick, Naoki's sister, King Moron. First, he'd have to talk to Naoki, they drifted apart too much, and while they did chat a little during the camping trip, he wanted to reconnect with him as much as possible, for Naoki and himself too.

He knew losing a family member was difficult, losing his Da hurt him enough, but he heard a little bit from Narukami. How Naoki hated being pitied, how he couldn't even mourn his sister properly, dammit. "Man, two victims in a row from our school... That's gotta set off the police's alarm bells." _If they'd pull their heads out of their asses._ "They're not gonna leave any stones at school unturned." 

"Somewhere deep inside, I thought maybe he was the killer..." Yosuke revealed in a quiet tone. "The news says that he was the second victim from Yasogami High, but we all know that's not the case. And I've heard him say more than once that so-and-so deserves to die..." _He did what!?_

"Why does that not fucking surprise me? That asshole was always trying his best to ruin everyone's lives, serves him right." 

"Woah there, Kanji. That's taking it a little too far." Narukami intervened, everyone being just as stunned by Kanji's scary tone.

"*sigh* Yeah, yer' right, sorry." Kanji decided to leave it at that, not wanting to go into more detail.

"Argh, this is so infuriating!" Chie exclaimed, oblivious to what was happening, probably lost in thought. "At this rate it's obvious the killing has something to do with the school, right? So why don't we split up and-"

"That won't be necessary." A calm quiet voice pointed out from behind Kanji. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Naoto walked up to the table. _S_ _hit, was he spying on us?_ "Y-You..." Kanji blurted out without thinking, and he prayed everyone was focused on Naoto.

"There is no need to examine the case of Mr. Morooka any further." _Huh? What? Why?_

"Wh-Why's that?" _Dammit, Chie, way to be obvious._

Kanji didn't know if the boy realized how suspicious Chie sounded or if he just decided to ignore it. "Apparently, the police have found a suspect. It would be best to let them handle the case from here." _Wait, how did he know that? Don't tell me-_

Kanji was glad Yosuke stammered the question out before him, but Kanji already had an idea of what the answer was. "H-How do you know...?"

"I'm on this case as a special investigator, by request of the prefectural police." 

_So he's a cop, figures. It suddenly makes a whole lot of damn sense as to why he had such an interest in me. How stupid can you get, Tatsumi?_

**_~Naoto Shirogane~_ **

The boy who Naoto identified as the son of the manager of Junes, named Yosuke Hanamura, stood up from the table from shock. "W-What!?" _Just as I suspected._

"They found a suspect...!? Who is it!?" The girl next to him inquired. _Energetic, peak physical condition, too loud, Chie Satonaka. No other useful information for now._

 _I can't reveal too much._ "As to his name, I haven't been informed." _Let's see how they react to bread crumbs._ "I do know... that he is a high schooler." 

_Give them some private info, that should satisfy them, earn their trust perhaps?_ "It isn't public knowledge yet, but he isn't a student of your high school. It seems they are quiet confident that this boy is the killer... They have testimonies directly linking him with the incident. I expect it's only a matter of time before he is apprehended." Naoto continued. "Soon this case will be solved, and your town will once again be its peaceful, rustic self."

"The suspect... is a high schooler...?" Hanamura asked, before sitting down. "All right... So why come tell us? That's confidential info, right? Why run right here and spill it?" _Curious, didn't expect him to be the one to pick up on that._

"Your 'game' will soon reach its end. I felt I should at least let you know that." _Perhaps too forceful?_

"It's not a game to us." The quiet grey-haired boy finally spoke. _Quiet, intelligent, recently moved to Inaba, Yu Narukami. Not much information on him, either._

 _Regardless, he took the bait._ "You don't deny, then, that you have involved yourselves in the matter? Well, no matter. I have no reason to say anything further." _Well then, I'm done he-_

"A game...?" The girl known as Rise Kujikawa asked. _Idol, recently moved back to Inaba due to 'health reasons', bubbly, yet quiet and reserved at times._ "Aren't you the one who thinks of this as a game?" 

".....!?" _Excuse me, what!?_

"I don't care if you're a special investigator or an amateur sleuth... All you're doing is solving mysteries. What could you possibly know about us? You're the one who's playing a game here." _You- Okay, Shirogane, keep a level head._

"One of the victims... She meant a lot to me. How could I possibly treat this like a game? Plus... We made a promise..."

"Y-Y-Yosuke" The blonde boy stammered. Naoto didn't have enough information on him yet, only that he was named Teddie and he was obviously foreign. 

"A game..." _Breathe, it's fine._ "That may be quite true..."

Satonaka asked. "Wh-Why so understanding all of a sudden...?"

"Oh, I get it. I was wondering why you'd be wandering around like this when the police have a suspect..." The 'heir to Junes' added with a smirk. "What, did they get rid of you now that they have their man? Is that why you came here? You were lonely?" 

_Ah, the childish insults, of course. That's the Hanamura I expected._ "Detectives normally aren't involved with arrests. And we never harbor any special emotions regarding a case, either. Still..." 

Naoto swallowed and continued. "It is rather unfortunate that people are only attentive so long as our services are required..." _Just like at the police station, huh?_ "But then, I'm accustomed to it."

"...." Naoto wasn't quite sure what emotion Kanji Tatsumi was trying to emulate with that, but decided it wasn't worth pursuing.

"Much about this case was perplexing, but its solution was surprisingly simple..." _If it IS the solution, that is._ "Well then, I'll be going now." _So you are mere children after all, a shame._

**_~Kanji Tatsumi~_ **

Kanji couldn't help but look back towards the blue haired boy. He looked surprised by what Rise said, did she go too far? Why is he worrying so much? Because they're friends. Are they friends? Kanji's head was a jumbled mess at this point, the more questions he asked, the worse his headache became.

**GO TO HIM. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.**

_I don't know, it's weird. We're not friends. He was only interested in me because of the case._

**IF YOU SAY SO.**

_Of course I fucking say so! Even an idiot as big as me can put two and two together! Now leave me alone._

**COWARD.**

"Ugh, sorry guys, I ain't feelin' too good, I'm gonna uh... head off a little earlier today." 

"Everything alright, Kanji?" Narukami asked, being the first to worry as always.

"Yeah, 's fine, just a little headache, I'll be fine. See ya, guys!" Kanji was already done packing his things and rising from the bench.

As everyone wished him goodbye he still pondered where should he go, should he chase after Naoto? Should he go home? _Dammit, what is wrong with me!? Why can't I just make a fucking choice!? Come on, Tatsumi, man up and get a damn hold of yourself!_ _Right, I'll go ho-_

"Ah, Tatsumi-kun, greetings." 

_Well, shit. Looks like the choice was made for me._

"Oh! Uh.. h-hey, what's up?" 

Naoto looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't finding the right words. He pondered for a couple seconds before responding. "I don't expect to get an answer, but.." he sighed, "mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, what do you need?" Kanji was wondering what the detective wanted. Was he really interested? Nah, that's just a wild dream. Did he want to get information? Why can't he ever tell what Naoto wants from him, is he that bad at reading people?

"I know you are involved in the case, Narukami-san didn't deny when I implied your involvement in the case. What is your real involvement with the murders?" 

That was the question Kanji was expecting, but it still managed to make him flinch. "W-What? Uhh..." Kanji couldn't come up with words, even if he would have he'd probably mess it up and squeal or something else.

"I see." Naoto added with a sad expression. "I wasn't expecting much. Well then, if you'll excuse me, until next time." Naoto finished with a tug of his cadet cap and started walking away.

_Dammit, I-_

**HM?**

_Fuck it._

"Yo, hold on a sec!" 

Naoto stopped and turned his head around, raising an eyebrow.

"D-Don't take what Rise said to heart, she's probably just frustrated. And Yosuke's just an ass at times." Kanji didn't know what to expect. Fuck, he messed this up, what the fuck was actually going through his head when he thought this was a good idea?

Naoto tugged at his cap, lowering it a little. "Your concern is appreciated, however you needn't worry yourself with this. Now then, if that is all." Naoto turned and started walking again.

_Well that was... something, I guess?_

**PRETTY PATHETIC START, BUT IT'S PROGRESS.**

_The hell are you, my wingman_ _now?_

 **YOU SURE AS HELL NEED** **ONE.**

* * *

_**~Monday, July 18th, Junes food court, Kanji Tatsumi~** _

It's been a full week ever since Rise joined the team, and everything has been calm. Well, relatively calm, considering finals are tomorrow. The group has been meeting daily to study together for the exams, and while it was a fuckup at the start, everyone slowly put their heads more into studying and less into goofing off. Hell, even Chie and Yosuke haven't bickered for a couple days already. Yu, Chie, Yukiko and Yosuke were all upperclassmen, so they had it a lot tougher. Still, Yosuke seemed to do the worst, Rise didn't care, Chie barely scraped by, while Yukiko and Yu were basically aces. On top of that, Yu even found the time to help the two kohai, though Kanji had no idea how the hell he could manage that.

"Damn, Senpai, 's crazy that you can help us too, you sure you can handle it?" Kanji asked, worried that Yu was taking too much of his time helping him and Rise. 

"Don't worry, I can handle it, plus, don't wanna piss off your mother now, do we?" Yu explained with a grin and a wink directed at Rise. Kanji had to give him credit, Yu's attitude did a complete 180 in the last months. When he first met him, he didn't speak much, and he wasn't really a confrontational person either. He could have even been called shy, but now? He's openly flirting with Rise, and while he still doesn't talk a lot, he talks when needed. He proved to be a really good listener, and Kanji couldn't help but admire him.

"Heh, yeah. I really hope this thing pays off, I wanna see Ma's face if I manage to get good grades." Kanji really did want to make his mother proud. He's been disappointing her too much in the past couple of years.

"Well, it's been a week of constant studying." Yu chuckled and ran a hand through his silver hair. "I expect everyone's grades to be improved." Yu grinned and lightly elbowed Yosuke. "Who knows, you might even pass for once, partner."

"W-Wha? Come on, don't give me that, I passed previous tests." Yu raised an eyebrow at that, so Yosuke continued. "Ok, I pass SOME of the tests! Come on, quit it!"

"All I know is that I'm gonna score higher than ya, Yosuke." Kanji shrugged, before rising from the table. "Well, if we're taking a break, I gotta get somethin' for Ma."

"Oh!" Chie perked up. "Is it her birthday or something?"

"Nah, 's just something I gotta pick up for the shop, I'll be back in half an hour max." _Well, one part of it is for the shop._ Kanji planned this already, he chatted a little with Yukiko and learned that Chie's birthday is coming up at the end of the month, 30th of July to be exact. 

He gave some thought on what he should give her, he heard of the incident with that "Trial of the Dragons" movie, he thought of getting her the second one which recently came out, but Yosuke's already getting that for her. So with a little bit of Yu's insistence, Kanji decided he should do what he's best at, knitting and sewing. He was reluctant to share his hobbies with the others, but Yu told him to man up, and that's damn well what he was gonna do. He asked Yosuke for more info on that "Trial of the dragon" movie. Yosuke revealed that it was and still is Chie's favorite movie, he also was kind enough to tell Kanji her favorite character, the master dragon, of course.

Kanji got to work, he looked up the character a couple nights before and studied the design of the character. The dragon had a bright, golden color to it, with fire breathing out of his mouth, crimson red crystal eyes and extremely long horns. This was going to be a challenge, but one that Kanji was determined to beat.

* * *

After a long hour of going through all of the materials he could find in the entire Junes store, he finally got everything he needed for Chie's gift. He could already see the dragon, and he couldn't help but smile thinking how happy Chie is going to be, or at least that's what he hoped. Kanji and Chie weren't that different from each other, they're both into things not "fit for their gender" and they're both athletic. Out of all the girls from the group he got along the most with her, even more than with Yukiko, which was a surprise.

They've been talking a little bit in the past few days, turns out that Chie also trains in the mornings. _Maybe I should ask 'er if she wants to train together? Meh, not important right now, how long did it take me to get everything?_ Kanji pulled his flip phone out of his pocket. _ONE HOUR!? SHIT!_ Kanji pocketed his phone and ran back to the food court, maybe a little too fast, considering he almost fell face first twice already.

Kanji spaced out too much and ended up bumping into someone. "W-Woah!" Kanji panicked and grabbed the person's hand, least he could do for being clumsy. He went red the moment he realized who it was, quickly retracting his hand. "N-Naoto? Crap, I-I'm sorry!" _Why does this always happen to me!?_

**HEH.**

"T-Tatsumi-san!" The blue haired detective responded in an uncharacteristically high pitch. He let out a sigh, obviously a little frustrated. "You should be more aware of your surroundings, I would also advise against running around a crowded store, as you can now see."

"Y-Yeah, just realized I wandered around too much, l-lost track a' time. S-Sorry again." Kanji apologized again, face redder than Yukiko's entire outfit.

Naoto gave a very small smirk, so small any normal person wouldn't even notice it. "Just be more careful next time. Well then, I have some errands to attend to" Naoto finished with a tip of his hat. "Goodbye." was all he added before he went his own way.

 _God fucking_ _dammit._

Kanji cursed his luck as he escaped as fast as he could. _Course! Of fucking course!_ That wasn't all, either. He was also late, took too damn long.

By the time Kanji got back, everyone was scattered around. Teddie was causing trouble in the women's clothing section _again._ Yosuke was trying and failing to keep him in check. The girls were shopping around the food section.

_Not mystery food X again._

Yu was being his usual quiet self. Hit table was completely filled with origami. All of them were cranes. _Little weird, what's up with that?_

"There! I'm finished!" Kanji huffed and puffed. He forgot everything Naoto said and bolted it here. As he was catching his breath it seems like everyone was starting to meet up at the table again. Yosuke was dragging Teddie along like a little kid. _Basically what he is, anyway._ The girls were whispering some nonsense and giggling constantly.

"Sorry I took so damn long." Why DID he take so long anyway? Was it spacing out too much getting everything he needed? Was it him running into Naoto? Kanji couldn't tell, his head was a little bit of a mess right now.

"You got everything you needed?" Yu asked with a knowing smile. Kanji already knew what he meant, considering Yu was the one who insisted he should be confident in his skills and use them to make a nice present for Chie.

"Yup, it took me longer than I- " Kanji was interrupted by the idol who was eyeing his bag.

"Ooh, what'd ya' get?" Rise yanked the bag out of Kanji's hand and curiously searched through it.

"W-What!? Hey!" Kanji was so surprised he didn't even react more than that. _Damn nosy chick, the hell's wrong with her?_

Rise was all smiles rummaging through the bag like a treasure chest. She managed to grab some pink yarn, and Kanji gulped. _WHY DOES LIFE HATE ME TODAY!?_ "Hm?" was all Rise could muster with a raised eyebrow, clearly confused.

"Dammit! Gimme that!" Kanji yanked the yarn and the bag out of her hand, nearly ripping the bag open in the process. "And mind your own damn business!"

Kanji looked at everyone in the group, and everyone except Yu stared back. "The hell are y'all gawking at!?" Kanji raised his fist, his face red from anger.

"Kanji." Yu dropped his usual cheery tone and used a more serious one, a worried expression on his face. "Calm down, man. Take a deep breath, come on." he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're a team, the reason we're here is because of the things we went through together."

"Yeah, that's right. You remember my shadow, right?" Rise softly spoke up. The way she spoke reminded him when they first warned her at the tofu shop, and he couldn't help but feel bad. _Argh, fuck sake._

"Alright, alright!" Kanji closed his eyes and sighed. Yu squeezed his shoulder, reassuring him. _How did I get dragged into this? Well, here goes nothin'._ "It's f-for... uhh... y-you see, I use it." The message wasn't getting across, so Kanji grew frustrated again. "Dammit, I like knitting stuff! I can sew the cutest plushies you've ever seen! You got a problem with that!?"

**CALM DOWN, YOU MORON.**

"Aw, come on, Kanji! You know I ain't any better!" Chie finished with a nervous chuckle. _Huh? Oh... that's right, dammit._

Yosuke pondered for a second, trying to come up with the right words. He suddenly perked up his head. "Yeah, dude, we all had to face our own shadows. You're not alone in this, it's the reason the Investigation Team exists, we're like family here."

"Woah, Yosuke! You actually said something cool!" Teddie cheerfully pointed out, accompanied by the rest of the team's laughter, Kanji included.

"Come on, give me a break!" Yosuke answer with a pained expression. But just as quickly he changed back to his cheerful tone. "Well, looks like I now suffer alongside you, Kanji. Hah." he finished with a wink, and Kanji couldn't help but smile back. Yosuke was a real ass at time, but beneath that, he had a heart made of gold.

"That's my second in command." Yu patted Yosuke on the back. "Leave the morale of the group to him, eh? Right, partner?" he looked expectantly at Yosuke.

"Hell yeah! Leave it to me!" Yosuke proudly responded with a cliché hero pose, followed by a thumbs up directed at everyone.

Kanji looked around at everyone, and just as he suspected, everyone had the same big, dumb grin on all their faces. There was something different about one person, something... odd. _Chie looks a little red, doesn't she? Woah, is she blushing?_

 **MAYBE.** A familiar voice echoed in the back of his head.

 _That's what I thou- wait, can ya' even see?_ Kanji curiously asked Take-Mikazuchi.

 **OF COURSE. I AM THOU, AND THOU ART I, AFTER** **ALL.**

 _'Course, how could I ever forget?_ Kanji smiled to himself. _You are me, and I am you._

He could feel his persona smile and give a firm nod. He didn't see it, of course. He just... felt it? Kanji couldn't even begin to explain it, they really are one and the same.

"Hellooooo? Earth to Kanji?" Rise pulled him back to the real world, waving a hand in front of his face. "Sorry, big guy, but we need Kanji for now." She was looking... up? _Was she really talking to you? Is that even possible?_

**BARELY, BUT YES.**

"H-Huh? How did you...?"

"Oh, Himiko kind of tells me when that happens? It's hard to explain." Rise waved a dismissive hand. "Granted, I can't tell what you talk about, so you don't have to worry about that." She winked at him. "Himiko probably won't tell me even if she could." She chuckled.

Yu's eyes went wide for a split second there. It wasn't like him to show panic, hell, show emotion even. He was usually the one to stay calm in any situation. "Y-You do?"

_Yu? Stuttering? Holy crap he's sweating bullets!_

"Yes, I do. Even you." She pointed a finger at the leader, who flinched in response. "I have to say, the amount of personas that talk inside your head? It's like an all out war. I'm surprised you're still sane."

Looks like Rise brought up a touchy subject. Yu was visibly panicking, even if just a little now that he mostly regained his composure. "M-moving on. Should we continue studying? It's the last day. Come on, let's power through today, team!" Yu raised a fist in the air, hoping to move the topic as fast as possible.

Chie groaned and started complaining. "Pleeeaaase! I can't take it anymore! I feel like I'm the one going insane from all this!" 

Yukiko shyly nodded as well. Yosuke joined the bandwagon. "For once, I agree with you, Chie. I feel like my brain's going to explode from this much math."

Rise's turn was up. "Come ooooon, senpai! We've been studying all week!"

Yu couldn't help but chuckle at everyone's over the top reactions. "Alright, alright. I think we're all pretty prepared for the finals anyway. Well... everyone except Teddie." 

Yosuke suddenly stood up and slammed his hands on the table, glaring at a startled Teddie. "You have no idea how lucky you are, Ted. Must be nice not having to deal with school." Yosuke sat back down, arms crossed. _Well, if we're not gonna study anymore, I should go home and start working on Chie's gift._

"I think I'm gonna go, then. I got some stuff to do." 

Kanji didn't even have time to stand up from the table because Rise already interjected. "If you're going home to make something..." She pointed at Kanji's bag. "Why not just do it here? We can still hang out even if we finished our studies."

"Hmm..." Kanji pondered for a second. _Crap, Chie's gonna notice what I'm making, I can't do it here._ "Sigh, fine. But I can't do my work here, I don't have everything I need anyway." Kanji was thinking again. "How about this, gimme an idea. Anything that comes in your head."

Teddie quickly took the opportunity. "Ooh, ooh! Make a Teddie plushie! Can you, please please please?" Teddie was staring at him with big, sparkly eyes. As annoying as Teddie was, he had this charm to him, he was a kid at heart. 

"A Teddie plushie? Don't you think that's a bit too difficult?" Rise asked with doubt in her voice. Teddie was about to throw one of his tantrums, but Kanji started first.

"The hell it is! Nothing's too difficult for me." Kanji proudly pointed to himself. "Just watch, it'll blow yer' damn mind." 

_**~Rise Kujikawa~** _

Rise couldn't believe what she was seeing. Kanji quickly put on a serious expression and got to work in an instant. His hands moved with precision that Rise didn't think Kanji was able to achieve. Not only that, he was also going at a pretty fast pace!

"Woah! That's incredible!" Rise had to admit, she thought of Kanji as a dumb musclehead, but this? _Maybe I judged him too fast, I should give him a chance._

**_I told you, dear._ **

_Yeah, I'm sorry. I guess I should have listened to you, Himiko._

Rise decided she talked to Himiko enough for now, and looked around at everyone. Yu was doing more origami, Yukiko and Chie were talking and giggling. Teddie was staring at Kanji with sparkly eyes, trying and failing at pestering him. Kanji was completely absorbed in his work, he didn't even notice anything that was going on around him. "You really got a knack for this, huh?" No response. _Wow, he's completely into it!_

Rise checked what Yosuke was up to, she expected him to be asleep or something. But it looks like he was drumming his fingers on the table to a beat. _Wait, I recognize that song, don't I?_ Rise followed his rhythm for a little bit and she was correct! Rise followed along with a smirk at Yosuke. He didn't notice anything until the lyrics came up again and she started singing along.

"(Darkness) Lost destiny (endless) far outcry (despair) they hear you (fear) no more," Rise continued singing. Yosuke quickly looked up at her, smiled and joined in her rhythm. As she finished the woman singer's part, she pointed expectantly at Yosuke with both index fingers.

"Nowadays many people abuse information better choose, recognize the source of course or get accused soon. Be careful who you choose to speak in back room. Jealousy, jealousy running like sonic boom." Yosuke continued the rapper's part and he was keeping up pretty well. He got all of the words and barely stuttered through the song. If Rise had to guess...

"You practiced this for a while, haven't you?" Rise smiled at Yosuke. _Come on, there's no way you nailed it like that first try._

"Heh, yeah. This song is awesome! I'm surprised you know it, Rise."

"Why does that surprise you? I love this song! The artist is really talented! Can't say I enjoy rap that much, Lotus Juice is the only rapper I really listen to, if I'm honest."

"Yeah, don't really like rap either, but this is an exception." Yosuke smiled back her as he pointed to his headphones.

"Have you ever considered a career in singing or something?" Rise curiously asked. Yosuke wasn't that bad at handling rap, with a little bit of practice he could pull it off.

"Nah, I'm not really into that. Dancing's probably more my thing." 

Rise's eyes shined. "Dancing?" She eyed him up and down a little bit. "Well, from the little I've seen, you're pretty agile in battle, you could probably do pretty good!" Rise gave Yosuke a thumbs up.

"You think so? Holy crap, Risette's sitting here complimenting my potential in dancing and singing! This day can't get any better!" 

Rise giggled to herself. Yosuke was being silly again, one could find it weird, yeah, but Yosuke was nothing compared to the creeps Rise met. Plus, she couldn't deny she found it a little flattering, and a little annoying at the same time. Yosuke didn't mean it in a bad way either, he was genuinely just a fan of hers.

"Heehee, just call me Rise, it's what I prefer."

"Holy crap! Y-You sure?"

Yosuke was overreacting a little. Oh well. Both of them went back to chatting about music, discussing their likes and dislikes. 

_**~Kanji Tatsumi~** _

After around one hour (if Kanji had to guess) the mini Teddie was basically completed. As Kanji said, it was a breeze. The only damn problem was the actual Teddie bothering him constantly. At least Yu was there to keep the stupid bear busy for the most part.

"Yo, check this out!" Kanji proudly put the plushie on display on the table. It wasn't anything fancy, but Kanji nailed it considering he only had an hour at most.

Rise was the first to pick up and inspect the miniature bear. "Wow this amazing, Kanji! I have to say, I didn't expect you to be so good at this." She gave him a big smile as she was inspecting the plushie from every angle. "You sure are strange. You might not be such a bad guy, after all, heehee."

"T-The hell's that s'posed to mean?" Kanji barely managed to utter out.

"Heehee, you worry too much!" Rise lightly punched his muscular arm.

 _What a strange chick._ Kanji checked the time on his flip phone. _I really should start working on Chie's gift._

"As much as I liked our little meet up today, I really should head home."

"Aww." Rise looked disappointed, then quickly switched back to a smile "Alright then, I forced you to stay long enough, see ya!"

Kanji picked up his stuff, along with his bag and got up from his seat.

"Later, dude!"

"Bearwell!"

He exchanged goodbyes with everyone else and finally left, later than he had hoped for. He was glad it ended this way, though.

If Kanji was honest, he was really looking forward to making that dragon. Not only was he excited to see Chie's reaction, he was also excited to see his finished work, it's a golden dragon, after all. And that dragon design looked awesome.

As he left the Junes store, he still clutched the Teddie plushie, staring at it the entire way home. 

_Huh, maybe I should give them a chance at least._ Kanji smiled to himself

**YOU REALLY SHOULD.**


	3. A test of fortitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to TeamTatsumi96 for helping me proofread this! Hope you guys enjoy this new chapter! Hope you had a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

_**~Tuesday, July 19th, Tatsumi Textiles, Kanji Tatsumi~** _

"Today is the day."

Kanji jumped out of his futon with unmatched energy. After his morning routine he went downstairs, getting ready to leave.

"Hey Ma! I'm off to school!"

Kanji's mom peeked her head in the living room and raised an eyebrow. "My, you're awfully eager this morning! Something I should know?"

Kanji smiled at his mom. "Hell yeah! We got finals starting today. Just you wait and see my grades!"

She chuckled with a hand over her mouth. "Wow, it's not like you to be so excited about school."

"Dammit, can ya' stop grilling me?!" Kanji fired back. "Come on, I'm doing my best..."

His mother gave him a bright smile. "Oh, you got this wrong, dear." She wiped a stray tear. "I'm just so happy to see you back on the right path."

Kanji suddenly felt a surge of an emotion that he could only describe as pride, confidence and a hint of worry. "I'm sorry for lashing out, Ma..."

"Don't worry about it, dear. Just make us proud."

 _Us._ Kanji already knew who she was referring to. "You think..." Kanji cleared his throat, then responded quietly. "You think he'd be proud of me?"

"I'm sure he is, just like me."

Kanji didn't know how to respond, so he decided to just awkwardly wave and sprint out the door into the shopping district.

_Next stop? Yasogami._

* * *

As he was jogging towards school he noticed a familiar girl wearing a green track suit jacket around her waist.

"Yo, Chie-senpai! Wait up!"

Kanji wasn't sure if he even needed to say that, considering she was moving at a snail's pace.

"Oh, hey Kanji." Looks like Chie was not looking forward to the week full of exams. _I mean, she complained about them constantly when we were studying._ Kanji wasn't exactly excited for them either, but he'll push through it like a man, dammit!

"You look like a ghost." No reaction. "Come on, cheer up, we just gotta power through this, yeah?" Chie seemed unfazed, so he came up with something else. "Oh? Didn't think ya' would run away from a challenge."

Looks like that ticked her off. "The hell!? Who do you think you're talking to? I never run from a challenge!"

"In that case, let's run towards the challenge, eh? How about a little race?"

"Oh, it's on, Kanji! Let's see what you got, Emperor!"

"Likewise, Chariot."

They both got ready at an imaginary white line. They probably looked like idiots competing in a fake marathon, but neither didn't really care.

"You're going down, Chie-senpai!" They both got into position. "3...2...1...GO!"

Kanji took off. He looked behind him for a second _Holy crap! She's basically breathing down my neck!_

He could see the school gate, just a little longer. 

"Hrgh... here I.. GO!" Chie suddenly roared behind him. By the time she finished her battle cry, she was already ahead of a spooked Kanji.

"Huh? What the hell?"

In the end, it looks like he lost _._ "Looks like I won! Sorry Kanji, but you're no match for the dragon!" Chie kicked the air dramatically. Kanji briefly remembered seeing her launch some of the shadows into outer space during battle.

He smiled and gave her a thumbs up. "Not bad, not bad. Well..." He glanced at the school entrance filled with students panicking and complaining about the finals. "Let's get this over with."

"Ugh, fine!" Chie slumped her shoulders. "Thanks, though. For cheering me up, I mean." She held her palm up with a smile on her face.

Kanji high fived her. "Yeah, no problem. I don't know who scared more students." He chuckled. "Probly' me."

"Come on, don't be so hard on yourself, we'll fix that in no time, yeah?" 

"Heh, yeah." Kanji looked at the clock on the wall. "Crap, we really should get going, see ya!"

"Yup, laters!"

_Alright, let's do this. This is how Kanji the man does it!_

* * *

_**~Inaba police station, Naoto Shirogane~** _

"Hmm, let's try this again."

It was a new day for Naoto. A new day which will most likely have the same course of action as the previous ones. She started going through the mountain of files on her desk.

As she scoured for any potential information she might have missed, but she quickly realized that wasn't the case.

"This is proving to be rather fruitless... again."

Naoto started getting more and more frustrated. The more she looked at the files, the more she wanted to tear them to pieces. She decided that staring at them would only waste even more of her time.

"I need a new lead, this is going nowhere."

Naoto thought for a while, staring at her workspace littered with documents. _I should tidy up..._ After going through all the possible leads, only 2 of them were worth pursuing. _1) Sucking up my pride and trying to cooperate with a police officer or..._ She paused for a second. _2) Try getting close to them. Most of them would outright reject the notion of befriending me... except one._

Her social skills were... non existent, to put it bluntly. _Cooperating it is. Let's see... the only officer that might help is... Satoshi-san._ Naoto pondered some more. _If I show him the evidence..._

* * *

"There's no need."

"Satoshi-san, this is a critical situation. You have to take a look at the evidence again from another perspective. The proof is here!" Naoto wrinkled some of the papers in her hands.

"Look, kid. I already told you, it's done, that high school creep did it." He was getting more and more impatient. Every attempt to convince him so far has been squandered.

Naoto was starting to get angry as well. She probably should have stopped the moment she noticed it, that's what an adult would have done. "Are you not interested in solving the case? Are you satisfied with the possibility of the true serial killer still being on the loose?" The words were just pouring out of her mouth, and when she took a notice, it was already too late.

The police officer slammed his hands on the table and finally got up from his chair to face Naoto. "Now listen here, you stupid little brat! I've been in the police force for 15 years, I won't sit here and be lectured by a snot nosed little prick who's younger than my career! So take your little 'evidence' and piss off, the entire station's already tired of babysitting your entitled ass, anyway!"

Naoto stood frozen before she managed to get a hold of herself. She decided that backing out was the best course of action. "Very well." were all the words Naoto could muster up.

As she stormed back to her office, she tried to ignore everyone's looks. _They probably heard all the shouting. Dammit, Shirogane, when are you gonna stop acting so immature? Insulting an officer, getting in a verbal fight with him?_

She got another cup of coffee and went outside for a breath of fresh air. She was leaning on the wall when she noticed her hand trembling. _Is it too cold outside? I should go back._

She slammed the door to her office and plopped back in her chair. She grabbed another document from the pile. She didn't even notice her vision getting blurrier and blurrier until she felt a drop of water on the paper. 

_So now you start crying, huh? You're a fool. A stupid fool who can't get out of her child phase. When are you ever going to grow up?_

She put the papers down so she wouldn't get any tears on them and brought her knees up to her chest."T-the entire police station is tired of b-babysitting me, huh?" She was struggling to get words out. She started recalling more of the previous conversation. _Snot nosed, little prick, entitled._ _.._

As Naoto kept mulling things over, the door to her office suddenly swung open. To Naoto's luck, looks like Dojima-san decided to barge into her office without knocking. "Hey Shirogane, what was that abo-" he stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed her red cheeks from the tears now hastily wiped away. "You alright there? What happened?" His tone suddenly took a softer turn, probably realizing what just transpired. _Damn you, Shirogane. Look what mess you got yourself into now._

"I am fine. No need to worry, Dojima-San." 

"You know, I'm not oblivious." He crossed his arms as he leaned on the doorframe to cast a look that Naoto could only describe as a mix of worry and kindness.

"I said I'm fine!" Naoto quickly shouted back, cheeks already red from either anger or embarrassment.

Doijma-san sighed. "Listen. I can tell something's bothering you, you were obviously crying before I came in." Naoto flinched at how straightforward he was, though even she knew she deserved it. "You don't have to tell me the details, just... take the day off, will you? You won't accomplish anything in this state."

"I...fine, I'll take my leave after I tidy up the office."

"I'll take care of it, don't worry."

Naoto didn't have the energy to protest and started gathering her things, which included her trusty pistol, 'Algernon' and her trademark blue cap. "I'll see you tomorrow, Dojima-san."

"Take care, Shirogane."

* * *

_**~Ryotaro Dojima~** _

Dojima gave a puzzling look to the door Shirogane just exited from. _What the hell happened to upset him that bad?_ He started absent-mindedly cleaning up the papers scattered around the desk. He had to investigate this further. Sure, the kid was an annoying brat at times, but he wasn't a bad person, something must have really shaken him. _I should ask around, find out what exactly happened._

One file in particular caught his eye. It was handwritten, likely Shirogane's writing. The paper described the last 3 murders in vast detail, all the discrepancies between the first 2 murders and the last one neatly written down. 

"So he has the same opinion, huh?" He analyzed the data in more detail. _3rd victim, cause of death discovered, no previous TV broadcast._ The list kept going, Dojima decided that he read enough and continued cleaning. "Just as I thought, the case is far from over, but why didn't you consult with me, Shirogane?" 

Well, Dojima had some ideas, including the possibility of the kid simply being too stubborn to seek any help. _No use thinking about that now, I have to find out what happened._

* * *

_**~Saturday, July 23rd, Classroom 1-3, Kanji Tatsumi~** _

"It's finally over."

Kanji jumped out of his seat and stretched. He bolted out of the classroom, already spotting a familiar face in the hallway.

"Hey, how'd it go, Rise?"

"Don't start. What do I even need English for? I can always get a translator, ugh! What about you, big guy?"

"Damn, that sucks. I think the last painful week might have been worth the effort for me." _I sure hope so at least._

"That's really good to hear! You're still Moronji, though." She winked and stuck her tongue out in a joking manner.

"Oh ha, ha. Bite me."

"Don't be like that." She pouted for a second and poked his side. "Let's tell senpai the good news then, right?" Rise started tugging his arm. "Come on, let's goooo!"

They both rushed to class 2-2, where all their senpai were doing their own thing. Chie looked dead inside, Yosuke was already sleeping, head on the desk and Yukiko was comparing her answers with Yu.

"Yeah, I chose "used to"- Oh hey guys! How'd it go? I'm gonna assume better than Yosuke and Chie here, heh."

"Heeey! Uh, hahaha, I'd rather not talk about that. What about you, senpai?"

"My pen couldn't stop moving. I was on fire!" Yu said excitedly. Yukiko basically said the same thing, just a lot quieter. "What about you, Kanji?"

"I think it went pretty damn well! You'll see the results next week." _God I hope I'm right._ Sure, he keeps saying all this, but there's no way to know for sure, right? That thought terrifies Kanji, if only a little.

"I'm proud of you, Kanji. I'm sure your mom will feel the same way. In fact, I bet she already is." He high fived Kanji, smacking the lingering doubts away, for now.

"Hey." Yosuke intervened out of nowhere. "I know this is a touchy moment and everything, but can we please get the hell out of here already?"

Yu chuckled at how much Yosuke was overreacting. "Alright, alright. Let's save Yosuke from this dreadful prison, shall we?"

Everyone laughed at that, Yosuke included. "Dude, come on!" He winced. "Anyway, seriously now, let's go to Junes, alright? I'm starving."

"For once I agree with you, Yosuke-senpai. I can hear my stomach grumbling. _And it's pretty damn loud._

"Very well. Investigation team, fall back to the headquarters!" Yu mockingly ordered with a finger pointed towards the classroom doors.

* * *

"Here you go." Yosuke brought the last drinks to the table and handed them out before plopping down.

"I'm kinda bummed that they found a culprit. We thought we were the only ones that could solve this case, that's the reason we created the Investigation Team, right?" Chie asked as she took a sip from her drink.

"I mean, they haven't made an arrest yet, we don't know that for sure." Yosuke responded back.

Kanji intervened as well. "Sooooo... we gotta sit on our thumbs." He was about to say more, when he spotted a familiar detective walking through the food court.

"For crying out loud... It's nice to have a suspect, but where the hell is he?" Adachi kept muttering to himself. "We're at the end of our rope here." He gasped as he noticed everyone sitting at the table near him. "Y-You guys!? D-Did you hear what I said? Ah....hahaha. This case is as good as solved." Kanji didn't believe that for a second, Adachi was a terrible liar, he was sure no one else bought that crap either. "Don't worry, kids. It's only a matter of time before we bring in the suspect." _Yeah, right._ "I mean, the guy's kidnapping people at random and slaughtering them! We won't rest until we bring him to justice!" Adachi tried putting on his most serious face, but failed, resulting in him taking the easy way out. "I-I gotta get going!" He quickly added as he began walking past them as fast as possible, probably not wanting to do anything that would get him into even more trouble with Dojima-san.

"Now I'm REALLY worried..." Yosuke cheekily pointed out. "On the other hand... If the police have a search warrant out for the guy, we should stay out of it."

"Yeah..." Kanji had to agree with that, even though he didn't trust the cops to be able to pull this off.

Rise started talking about chemistry with Yu. _Great, as if the exam wasn't enough. I'm gonna get another damn headache._ "Hey, you had that question too, didn't you Kanji?"

"Shut up. My head's gonna start hurting again from all this damn chemistry." Kanji couldn't be bothered anymore, he was too frustrated and tired. _Stupid exams, glad they're over at least._

"Wow, kinda harsh, aren't you? I heard you got a nosebleed when you were around our senpai." Rise accused Kanji, which almost made him fall off his chair.

 _WHA-_ "H-Hey! Who the hell blabbed about that !?" _BETRAYAL!_

**QUIT ACTING LIKE A PRINCESS.**

Chie interrupted Rise and Kanji's thoughts. "A-Anyways!" _Huh? Chie? You d_ _amn traitor!_ "Rise-chan, why don't you ask Yukiko to help you study?"

"Huh? I guess, but wouldn't you rather ask a senpai of the opposite sex?" _That much is obvious, how'd ya' not notice that, Chie?_ "Senpai... I'm not a nuisance to you, am I?" Rise's smile faltered, something that rarely happens.

"N-No, of course not! You don't need to worry!" Yu quickly explained, stumbling over words.

Chie was genuinely surprised. "Damn... This girl's dangerous...!" 

Rise gave her a wink directed at both Chie and Yu. _Wow... I'm impressed and terrified at the same time._

"L-let's change the subject." Chie thought for a second before asking Yosuke. "Hey, any idea how Teddie's doing?"

Yosuke perks up and starts talking back. "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it to you." He pointed to his left. "Check this out." Teddie was wearing his bear suit, handing balloons to a bunch of kids. "I let him stay at my place. In return, he's now our official store mascot."

 _I get it!_ "Aaah! So he's hiding in plain sight. Reverse psychology, huh?" Kanji took a good look at the bear happily dealing with the kids. "Man... He looks like one happy bear..."

Yosuke chuckled and continued. "He kept saying that he didn't wanna go back, so I made him a deal. Now, since I've got nothing better to do... I'm gonna go bug him."

"Ooh, I wanna go too!" Chie happily exclaimed.

"C-Can I... feel his soft fur...?" _C'mon, I gotta_ _know, at least one time!_ Kanji joined Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko. Looks like Yu and Rise started chatting at the table.

"Hey! Ted! You having fun?" Yosuke called out to Teddie as they were getting closer. 

Teddie was surrounded by 5 kids and balloons, any normal person would probably feel overwhelmed and try to get out of there as fast as possible, but then again, Teddie was no ordinary guy. "Oh! Hey Yosuke! I'm having fun with Yuuta, Akemi, Toshiaki, Kazuki and Aika! Do you wanna join us?" As always, Teddie gleamed. His happiness was infectious as hell, Kanji was already feeling a lot happier around him. 

"Wait, Aika?" Yosuke only now noticed the blue haired girl that was noticeably taller than everyone else there. "W-What are you doing here?"

She carefully stood up and responded in her usual tone which made her sound completely uninterested. "Oh. Hey, Hanamura. I'm running an errand for my dad, just stopped a little bit to say hi to Teddie. I should probably get going."

"Teddieeee! Heeeey!" A familiar cheerful voice rang out through the food court, looks like Rise and Yu finished their chat.

"Anyway, see ya." Aika got up and left in a hurry. _Weird, is she ignoring Yu? Nah, she's probably just late._

Rise smacked Teddie, almost making him fall. "Hey, Teddie! What's up? Having fun?" _Wow, she's more energetic than usual._

"Aaaaah!" Teddie started flailing his arms around in a desperate attempt to regain balance. "Hmph, you're so mean!" He crossed his arms and pouted like a little kid. 

"Are you sure you're the one taking care of the kids?" Yosuke asked, arms crossed and frustrated. "It seems like the kids are the ones taking care of you... You know, I should probably pay them instead." 

"Eh?! I'm being attacked from all sides! Oh, the horror!" He dramatically put a hand on his forehead. "This is just unbearable!"

_..._

**DO IT.**

Kanji walked up to Teddie and pushed him as well, this time falling on the ground. "That's for the damn pun." _And I got to feel the fur a little too, heh._

Teddie was stuck on his back, arms and legs flailing around again. 

"Huh. It's just like that time we went in the TV and fought for the first time." Yu remembered nostalgically. "Remember, Yosuke? He got stuck like that before too."

Yosuke chuckled, memories flooding back. "Yeah, good times..." Yosuke calmed down and spoke up again. "Ok, ok. We've tortured you enough, Ted." He grabbed Teddie's arm and pulled him up.

"Yosuke! You're my savior!" Teddie was unfazed, he was still all smiles. _Damn, huge props to him._

Yosuke was about to protest to Teddie's overreacting, but Yu stopped looking at his phone and spoke up. "Anyway, it's getting late. I should head home. Later!"

Yukiko checked the time on her phone and quietly spoke up as well. "Yeah, I should probably do the same, I'm probably needed at the inn. I'll see you tomorrow." She timidly waved and started walking away as well.

 _Chie's present._ "Crap! I almost forgot. I should head off as well, see ya!"

 _**~Yosuke** _ **Hanamura~**

"Dammit, where the hell's that bear?" Yosuke kept glancing around, but Teddie was nowhere to be seen. His theories on Ted's location were drowned out by a voice Yosuke knew very well by know.

**Yo, come on, man! Focus on the bear later!**

Jiraiya was there to sneak in a snarky remark, of course.

_What? What do you want?_

**The girl in front of you, idiot!**

_Yeah, hardly a girl to begin with._

**Man, that's cold.**

Looks like that convinced him to go away for now. But he did make a good point.

Yosuke looked over to Chie who was just spacing out in front of him, staring at nothing in particular. "Hey, you're not going home?"

Chie perked her head up, a slight surprise written on her face. "Huh? Oh, it's not that late yet, I still have some time. Why, me being here bothers you that much?"

Yosuke recoiled a bit at that. "Jeez, bit of a overreaction? I was just asking." Hestood up from the table. "Wait here, I'll go fetch us some drinks. What do you want?"

Chie pondered for a moment before giving her answer. "Uhm, an Orange smash would do." 

"One Orange smash, coming right up, milady!" _Lucky for me there's no good meat tasting drink._ Yosuke bowed teasingly and started walking towards one of the vending machines before Chie had time to chew him out. He actually didn't bother looking around up until now, so he was surprised at how empty the Junes food court had gotten already. That's how late hours usually were at Junes, especially at the food court. Yosuke liked these hours. It meant he could finally relax after a hectic day at work.

"Man, I should prepare myself mentally when I get back there. Come to think of it I should prepare my nads too." Yosuke visibly shuddered, recalling all the well aimed kicks Chie had oh so graciously "gifted" Yosuke with in the past. 

He quickly inserted 120 yen and grabbed the Orange smash before looking at the selection of drinks in front of him. _Hmm... I guess I'll go for a Natural._

**Uhh... dude? It's The Natural.**

_Oh, get off my case and piss_ _off._ Yosuke quickly shut up the overly cocky frog that was hiding somewhere in the back of his skull.

Yosuke came back to a surprisingly calm Chie. "Here you go."

"Oh, thank you." 

_Wow, she's surprisingly calm._ Yosuke's expression soured a little. "Hey, you alright? You've been kinda quiet."

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Just the exams kinda drained my batteries." She finished and rested her head on the table like a little kid. _Jeez..._

Yosuke had a feeling that Chie was hiding the actual reason, but decided not to pry. "It really is getting late, we should leave. Want me to walk you home?" 

Chie finished a sip of her Orange Smash and got up from the table. "What, you think I can't take care of myself?"

Yosuke didn't bother replying, his "really?" face was enough of an answer.

Chie sighed. "Sorry. Sure, let's get a move on."

They grabbed their things and used the elevator to get to the ground floor. The walk has been pretty silent, aside from the pretty rare small talk going on. 

Chie was staring straight ahead, thinking about something. Yosuke couldn't help but wonder what. His question was quickly answered when she spoke up with a frown on her face. "Hey, Yosuke?"

"Huh? What's up?" Yosuke raised an eyebrow signalling his confusion.

"What was your shadow like?"

Yosuke was caught off-guard, and all he could do was let out a sigh. _What's with this out of the blue?_ "H-huh? Well..."

"It's fine, you don't have to tell me." Chie said that, but Yosuke could tell she didn't actually think that. They made it a couple of meters in silence before he decided to speak up.

"It was back when we entered the TV for the 2nd time. We made our way to a replica of the shopping district where we heard voices coming from Konishi Liquors." Yosuke grimaced a bit at hearing the name Konishi again, but continued nonetheless. "We made our way inside where uhh..." Yosuke paused again, gathering his thoughts and trying to come up with the right words to not make him sound so pathetic. "We heard Saki's voice. She... We heard Saki's... less than friendly opinion of me."

Yosuke grimaced again before continuing. "She said I was a major pain in the ass, leading to my emotions getting the better of me and my own shadow appearing. No matter what I said, it just kept rubbing salt in my wounds."

"Wow, I didn't expect that... Konishi Liquors, huh? I know how it feels, having a shadow spilling everything, saying all that crap about Yukiko."

"Oh yeah, I guess I did see yours, so it's only fair I tell you mine completely too. My shadow kept going on and on about my hate for the town, about my carefree attitude."

"Huh? Hate for the town? Your carefree attitude?" Chie kept bombarding Yosuke with questions.

"I can't..." Yosuke looked away in shame. "Maybe some other day, I'm sorry."

"You're right, sorry." Chie went silent for a moment, but couldn't help asking the main question. "Do you think we've gotten over those things?"

Yosuke had to think for a moment at that. "I don't know, I'd say so partially in my case. You seem to be doing better in that regard."

Chie seemed surprised. "Really? You think so?"

"Of course." Yosuke gave her an encouraging thumbs up. "Is that what was on your mind earlier at Junes?"

"Yeah, pretty much." 

They both ran out of words and just decided to walk the rest of the way in silence. The silence was different from the one at Junes, though. This silence was... much more comfortable and natural.

"Well, here we are. You gonna be alright?" He asked one last time.

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow!" Chie already had a little more energy than before, which made Yosuke smile

"See ya!" Yosuke did a little salute before he started heading towards his own home.

"Hey Yosuke." Chie called out to him.

Yosuke stopped and turned back around, cocking an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

She smiled with a very slight blush on her face. "Thanks. For today I mean."

"Don't mention it." Yosuke nodded back to her, before turning back around. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a lot longer than I thought, I've had a lack of motivation but I recently perked up again. Hope the result in the end was worth it! Already excited to work on chapter 4!


End file.
